Kessler Custom Handmade Alto Sax

Handmade Series Alto Sax Features The Kessler Custom Handmade Series alto sax is just as the name implies, a completely handmade professional alto sax. Built by a only 4 skilled artisan technicians, countless more hours are spent on each saxophone ensuring the best build quality with the lowest amount of stress in the construction. The techniques employed on the Handmade models’ construction produce an instrument that has better vibration, response and tonal performance. When combined with our direct sale approach, this gives the customer a saxophone that offers performance without compromise!

Handmade Series Improvements Our Handmade models are also equipped with 4 other distinct improvements not found on the other models in our Kessler Custom line. – Upgraded Body Alloy – Pisoni Pro Pads – Highest Quality Blue Needle Springs – Handmade Professional Mouthpiece We wanted our Handmade to be completely set apart from anything else on the market. So we went all out on it. The Pisoni Pro pads are the best leather pad available on the market today and are the same pads you will find on the Selmer Paris horns new. We further improve the feel of our Handmade models by using the highest quality blued needle spring for excellent key action. Lastly, we include on of our Kessler Custom handmade professional saxophone mouthpieces with each horn in the Handmade Series.

Additional Information

Kessler Custom Handmade Series saxophones utilize the Pisoni Pro pads. These pads are the best leather pad available on the market today and are the same pads you will find on the Selmer Paris horns new. These pads are a firmer pad than typically found on most saxophones. In order to use these pads, a saxophone has to be manufactured to a much higher level of build with more precise toneholes. Once installed, these pads offer 2 major benefits:

Stability When combined with the better tonehole manufacturing necessary to use the Pisoni Pro pad, these pads are more stable and less likely to develop little leaks. They also provide a much firmer feel to the mechanism of the sax.

Tone Projection Pads are made from leather and felt which serve as an acoustic dampener which is why saxophone pads use resonator discs. However, even with a resonator, your air column still comes in to contact with the leather and felt of the pad. With the firmer Pisoni Pro pad, you will have less acoustical dampening from the pad which yields better projection, response and power.

Red-Brass Alloy Typically, saxophones are made out of the alloy called “cartridge brass” (also known as “yellow brass”). While the exact formulation of brass can vary from vendors and suppliers, the typical formula is a brass that consists of 70% copper and 30% zinc. Our Handmade Series are made from “Red Brass” which consists of 85% copper and 15% zinc.

The extra 15% copper adds a little more mass to the alloy helping to produce a darker core tone. When combined with our professional bore and enhanced resonance from the Handmade construction, this alloy produces a wonderfully complex tone while maintaining excellent response and projection.

Brushed Matte Antique Lacquer Finish The “Brushed Matte Lacquer” is fantastic! There is no gloss to it leaving the horn looking like a “raw brass” saxophone. The Matte Lacquer also weighs less than traditional lacquer. This give the player the perception of the horn being more lively, vibrant and a bit edgier in tone. In reality, this is only a perception of the player as this finish doesn’t actually effect the sound of the horn. The other benefit of this finish is that it hides minor scratches that every horn is bound to receive better than high gloss finishes

Every horn we send out to a customer is not released from us unless it has been completely setup in our shop first. This is because the setup on the horn is of the utmost importance! Sometimes, a saxophone (regardless of who the manufacturer or the price point is) comes in needing 20 minutes of adjustments and then the very next one can require 2 hours! So if you were to get 5 of the same model right out of the box, they will all play different which leads people to believe that they are “good” or “bad” saxes… but the reality is that the one that was the best out of the 5 was likely the one that needed the least amount of work and on the flip side, the “bad” sax was the one that needed 2 hours worth of adjustments!

Once the same 5 saxophones are properly regulated and adjusted to perfection, they become near identical saxophones that even the pickiest of players would be challenged to pick a true “favorite” horn. However, since most stores do not or even can not perform this setup, the player never knows this and is simply relying on the luck of the draw. This is why we perform our setup (in our www.SaxophoneRepairs.com ProShop) on them before delivering your new sax to you. You trust us with your purchase and we want to make sure that you are rewarded by giving you your ideal saxophone setup flawlessly!

Case Options

Stock Case: GL Cases – GLE Series Contoured Case Weighing approximately 4 pounds and providing an exceptional fit for the horn, the GLE Series case offers exceptional protection and portability. Read more about this case on it’s product page by clicking here.

Case Upgrade Options

Case Upgrade Options We also stock a carefully selected variety of premium cases that you can upgrade to for a nominal fee from either GL Cases or BAM France! Upgrade Options are: